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What Do Website Diagnostic Tools Help Reveal?

At Results Communications and Research, we often use two distinct website diagnostic tools to run website diagnostic reports for existing clients and prospective clients. These reports include:

  • Google Lighthouse Reports – these reports provide feedback — both an overall score for each category as well as detail on website factors, features, issues, etc. that contribute to the overall score — on the four broad categories below:
    • Performance
    • Accessibility
    • SEO
    • Best Practices
  • Site Auditor Reports – similar to Google Lighthouse Reports, these reports provide an overall score (but just one), but also give you all the behind-the-scenes detail, so you know what needs to be adjusted on your website, and why, to improve your score. What we love about this report is that it reports factors/issues that should be addressed into these three categories, so you know which ones are most important to address first, i.e., those that are most likely most contributing most to your site not ranking as well as it could in search engine results:
    • Critical – these should be addressed immediately
    • Error – these should be addressed after the above
    • Warning – these you can slowly chip away at
Powder blue/turquoisey square image that says "Why Run Website Diagnostics Reports? Related To Being Found On Google For Relevant Terms (SEO), They Identify: 1. Website Issues That May Cause Search Engines to "Ding" You, and Therefore, Be Reluctant To Serve Up Your Site 2. Website Practices/Features That Will Support Your Not Missing Out On SEO "Opportunities." The image also includes the logo of our SEO consulting firm, Results Communications and Research.

Why Run Website Diagnostics Reports?

If you’re a follower of our blog or a frequent visitor of our website, you know that our Boston digital marketing agency has an expertise in SEO (search engine optimization). We are super passionate about helping organizations be found on search engines for appropriate terms in relevant geographies. There are an extensive list of factors that can influence how likely Google or other search engines will be to serve your website up in search results. Ultimately, search engines want searchers to find what they need and have a good “user experience” when they visit a website that the search engine serves up in search results.

The two reports mentioned above can help you determine both SEO challenges and opportunities. We like to say, “they help you both identify issues with your website that are likely causing search engines to “ding” it and make them less eager/more reluctant to serve your site up in relevant search results, and identify missed opportunities related to being found on search.” The latter category reflects items that search engines aren’t necessarily dinging your site for, but if your website employed best practices related to them, your site would likely rank better in appropriate search results.

Examples Of SEO Challenges and Opportunities Revealed By Website Diagnostics Reports

There are a large number of factors and issues on which the above two diagnostics tools report, so the following list is far from exclusive. But, some examples of critical SEO challenges and opportunities that are revealed by the reports include:

Factors/Features That Likely Cause Your Site To Be “Dinged” By Search Engines:

  • Slow Site Load Speed – search engines do not like to serve up websites that are slow to load.
  • No Image Alternative Text Tags (Alt Tags) – search engines want site visitors to have a good “user experience,” as we mentioned above. If a site is not accessible, i.e., not able to be read by screen users used by those with visual impairment or other physical disabilities, how can the visitor have a good experience? Incorporating alt tags when you include an image on a website page or in a website blog post is just one of many factors to be addressed to ensure your website is accessible.
  • Pointing to internal or external website pages that have an http:// (non-secure) vs. https:// (secure) address. Search engines do not like to send visitors to insecure websites.
  • Broken links/missing pages – often pages to which website content links are removed/taken down — whether the links point to internal pages/posts or to external ones. Search engines see this as neglect and not keeping an eye on your website and will view this negatively.

Missed Opportunities That Cause You To Miss Out On Ranking Well In Search Engine Results:

  • Not employing SEO meta page/post title tags: we always call these “your most important piece of SEO real estate” as they are crawled by search engines and tell them for what topics/search terms to index a particular page or post on your website.
  • Not completing SEO meta description tags: while it’s unknown for certain how directly these tags influence how your website ranks, they indirectly do, at a minimum, since they let potential visitors know what a page of your site is all about when it is served up in search results. Ultimately, this causes your pages to have a higher click-thru rate, and Google and other search engines view sites that have more website visitor traffic as more credible ones, and therefore, ones they are more comfortable serving up in relevant searches.
  • Publishing duplicate website content: we won’t re-create the wheel since our most recent blog post speaks to the downfall of having too much duplicate content, but the takeaway is this: when you repeat the same or very similar content in numerous places on your website, search engines get confused and they may not serve up those pages in relevant search results, nor index that content to begin with!
  • Publishing content that is too short or that doesn’t contain enough true crawlable/indexable content: As we expressed in this blog post about an important Google Core Algorithm update, Google and other search engines do not like to serve up low-quality, unhelpful content. They want to serve up meaningful content that allows visitors to take action to address their particular concerns. In addition, search engines can’t crawl/index pdfs, so if a lot of a page’s content is housed in an infographic or image, that is content that search engines will not serve your site up for. Sure, you can tag the image on the back end, but it’s unlikely your tag can incorporate everything an infographic or an image with a lot of content, or a pdf, has to say.

Not Sure How To Run, Interpret, Or Respond To Website Diagnostics Reports?

As SEO Consultants, we can help you with all of the above, so reach out to our team of search engine optimization consultants today to schedule a complimentary discussion.

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When You Should and Shouldn’t Repeat The Same Content In Several Places On Your Website

As an SEO consulting firm who has access to Site Auditor diagnostics reports thru a subscription, we are seeing that, when we run a website thru the aforementioned diagnostic tool, if the site shares certain content in two or more places (think on different pages or different blog posts within the site), the site receives a negative search engine optimization (SEO) warning for that. That’s because of the SEO implications of having “duplicate content.” When search engines, like Google and Bing, crawl a website and run into the exact same, or pretty identical, content blocks on more than one page of/post on your site, they may not end up indexing any of those pages (and therefore, won’t serve them up for relevant search terms) because they are confused about which page they should index related to certain topics to begin with. Or, if they do index pages/posts that have identical content, both pages or posts may rank poorly because of competing with each other, or search engines just feeling confused about when to serve them up.

You really need to think of search engines as entities that file and store information and who need your help to figure out where to file particular website pages or blog posts, i.e., what topic folder they should put them in. That’s where meta page and post titles come in, and really help search engines do their jobs!

This is a dark powder blue/turquoise-colored square image. The image reads "Are You Helping Search Engines Serve Your Website Content High Up In Relevant Search Results, Or Just Confusing Them? The image contains a diagram that shows brightly colored arrows going in all direction that are labeled, what, how, when, who, where, why, etc. The image also contains the logo of our Boston SEO Company, Results Communications and Research.

When You Should Share The Same Content On Several Pages Of/Posts On Your Website:

  • When it’s contact information, such as:
    • e-mail address
    • physical address
    • phone number
    • social media icons that link to your social media media profiles
  • When it’s critical to website visitors’ health & safety, such as:
    • needing to wear a mask when visiting your physical location
    • needing to call 911 or call a doctor in case of a health emergency vs. making a health decision based on visiting your website
  • When you need to include an important disclaimer, such as legal ones or ones required by a regulatory body:
    • before trying this, speak with your doctor
    • we are not medical or health professionals, or licensed xyz professionals
    • all users of our product/service may not experience the same results or results may vary

When You Shouldn’t Share The Same Content On Several Pages Of/Posts On Your Website:

  • When you’re posting detailed content/information on a particular topic (including information about your products or services, or about your organization) that is more than a couple of sentences, and particularly when it’s several paragraphs or more.

Instead Of Sharing The Same Content On Several Pages Of Your Website:

When All Else Fails:

If there are reasons why you must post the identical or almost-identical lengthy and/or detailed content in more than one place on your site — unfortunately, we couldn’t think of any examples for needing to do this at the time of writing this post — then, you can use what’s known as a “canonical tag” to help identify for search engines, which is the main/master version of the content.

Need Help Identifying If There Are Any Issues Related To Your Website That Are Negatively Impacting SEO And How Your Website Ranks In Google?

As SEO consultants, we can run a couple of different diagnostics reports to help you identify current issues with your website that may be harming how high up in search-engine results your website is found for relevant search terms known as keywords, in relevant geographies. We, can, then, help you interpret the implications of the issues and possibilities for resolving them.

Schedule a free, no-obligation about our SEO services today!

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What Is An SEO Consultant?

While I’ve referred to myself and my business as a marketing consultant or marketing consulting firm, it never struck me that individuals would use the term “SEO consultant” to refer to someone who offers the SEO services (search engine optimization services) that I and my firm does.

Just by chance, while conducting some keyword research for a client that offers business and management consulting services, I stumbled across the term and the average monthly search volume for it. Did you know that 27,100 individuals a month, across the whole U.S., search on this term in Google? That’s a lot of searches on an annual basis!

So, I’m using this blog post as an example of how you can write a blog post to support being found for a term relevant to your business and services you offer, but also to explain to individuals who are searching on the term, what “SEO Consultant” means and what an SEO Consultant does.

An SEO Consultant is an individual or firm who can help your organization be found on Google and on other search engines for relevant terms, and in relevant geographies.

This is a square gray image with black and turquoise and blue text which reads "Did You Know That There Are Consultants Whose Sole Or Primary Focus Is To Help Your Organization Be Found in Search-Engine Results Listings By Your Target Audiences? They Are Known As: SEO Consultants. The image also contains the logo of our Boston SEO Company, Results Communications and Research.

So, What Exactly Do SEO Consultants Do?

Every SEO consultant’s approach to SEO is likely slightly different, but, in general, SEO consultants not only help your website rank well “organically (via unpaid/non-advertising tactics)” in search engines, but also your Google My Business Profile or Bing Places Profile (collectively referred to in this post going forward as “Business Profiles”). In addition, they may also help you identify presences you can have on social media platforms and discussion forums, like Reddit and Quora, to support your organization being found in search engines, since social media presences and discussion threads can also be served up in search results — not just your website or Business Profiles.

We believe that, ideally an SEO assessment to arrive at an SEO state-of-the union (an understanding of how your website and Business Profiles already support or don’t support your being found on search engines) should be completed first. Hey, we and you don’t want to break something that’s already working and doesn’t need fixing, right? That, should, then, be followed by implementation of various SEO tactics and best practices, based on what the audit/assessment reveals is warranted and appropriate.

Step 1: Initial SEO Assessment/SEO State-of-the-Union Evaluation

To achieve the objectives above, common initial activities that an SEO consultant may complete to arrive at an SEO state-of-the-union include, but are not limited to:

  • Conducting keyword research to identify what terms your target audiences are searching on most to identify someone who offers the services, products, and solutions to problems your organization offers — and in the right geographies.
  • Employing website diagnostics tools to run reports that assess how well your website employs best practices, including what’s known as technical SEO practices (think your website performing well and loading quickly), and provides for a good user experience.
  • Reviewing what’s known as your “behind-the-scenes” meta tags to ensure that they inform search engines and searchers what your website is all about.
  • Analyzing your Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and Bing Webmaster data to see what percentage of your website traffic comes from search engines, and for what terms Google and Bing are serving up your website most.
  • Conducting an SEO rankings audit to see just how well your Google My Business Profile and website rank on Google, and how well your website ranks on Bing.

Step 2: SEO Tactic Implementation To Address Areas For SEO Improvement Revealed By An SEO Assessment

Once the analyses listed above are completed, an SEO consultant will come up with a list of one-off/one-time SEO tactics and ongoing/regular/monthly tactics that should be implemented to support your website and various Business Profiles ranking better, plus your organization being found more online. These may include, but are not limited to the following:

One-Off/One-Time SEO Tactics To Support Being Found On Search Engines

  • Making your Bing Places and/or Google My Business Profiles (Business Profiles) more comprehensive.
  • Rewriting, or if they are missing, writing your meta tags for various website content (pages, posts, and images), and implementing and/or working with you or your website developer to implement them on your website.
  • Suggesting and/or writing new blog, FAQ, or website content to support your site ranking better in search-engines for certain high-volume keywords (search terms.)
  • Submitting any revised website pages and posts for indexing/crawling by Google and Bing by using Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster tools.
  • Developing and implementing paid search/search-engine advertising via Google Ads, Microsoft Bing Ads, or both, for organizations who don’t have the luxury of the long window required to rank better in search results, and need to rank well immediately!

Ongoing SEO Tactics — Since SEO Is Not A One And Done Marketing Activity!

  • Posting content regularly, including new blog post links, on Business Profiles
  • Writing, or making suggestions for blog topics, plus ensuring meta tags are appropriate and new website blog content is submitted for crawling/indexing by Bing and Google
  • Using Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster, and SEO rankings audit tools and diagnostic reports to monitor how your website and aforementioned Business Profiles are ranking in search-engines and making regular recommendations about tactics to improve rankings, as necessary

Speak With An SEO Optimization Consultant To Learn More

Want to learn more how we help and collaborate with organizations to ensure their websites, Business Profiles and other online presences are optimized for search? Reach out today to schedule a complimentary, no-obligation discussion with an SEO consultant!

Being Found On Bing, Bing Ads, Google My Business Profile, Microsoft Ads, paid search, Search Engine Optimization, SEM, SEO

How To Be Found On Bing

With all the current jockeying for position by search-engine providers and developers to be the number one AI search engine, as we’ve discussed in previous posts like our one entitled “How To Thrive, Not Just Survive, In the AI Search Jungle,” it’s important for organizations to think beyond Google, as they develop or revise their search engine optimization (SEO) strategies for 2025.

Bing continues to develop a number of AI search tools, so why not test the Bing and Microsoft waters?

How To Dip Your Toes In the Bing Pool

So, what are some easy, first steps you can take to start building a presence for your organization on Bing?

  • Maintain a business profile on Bing the way your organization does on Google with your Google My Business Profile.
    • You’ll be psyched to learn that when you go to Bing Places For Business to set up your Bing Places Profile, you’ll be able to import your Google My Business Profile information and integrate the two Profiles. That means any updates you make to your Google My Business Profile will automatically appear on your Bing Places Profile.
  • You can run Microsoft Ads, formerly known as Bing Ads, to ensure your organization appears high up in search results (learn more about when and why to run paid search advertising).
  • The way you use your Google Search Console account to submit new or revised website content (posts or pages) on your site for crawling and indexing on Google, you can set up a Bing Webmaster account to submit a request for Bing to crawl and index a page or post on your site.

Need Help Ranking Well On Bing?

Reach out to our Boston SEO Company’s team of SEO experts to schedule a complimentary SEO discussion today.